JPH02123009A - Product transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a product transfer device for an automatic package machine for biscuits capable of improving the discharging precision for products in wrong positions by forming a curve on the way of a channel guide formed with opposed side walls and a bottom wall and a slit in the bottom wall of the curve. CONSTITUTION: A channel guide is formed with opposed side walls 2, 3 and a base wall 4 by connecting a straight line A, a S-shaped curve C and a straight line B, together. At this time, the straight lines A, B are arranged to be offset in a lateral direction so that the side wall 3 of the straight line A and the side wall 2 of the straight line B are approximately matched to each other via the S-shaped curve C. Part of the base wall 4 of the S-shaped curve C is removed to form a slit 7 as well as a guide cutter root 9. In such a structure, products P in such wrong positions that main dimensions are not at a right angle to a carrying direction have no mutually holding force and so they are discharged without passing thought the slit in the curve. Highly precise removal is thus achieved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a conveyor device and the use of this conveyor device, for example in the automatic packaging industry of food products such as biscuits, cakes or the like. The possibilities have been developed.

In particular, the invention provides an apparatus for transporting a traveling stream of stacked products having major dimensions substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, the invention comprising first and second opposing walls for guiding the products in the direction of travel. and a third wall device extending between the first and second wall devices and maintaining the product in guiding relationship with the first and second wall devices, the third wall device having a major dimension parallel to the direction of travel. allowing the arranged products to be delivered from the device,
a third wall device comprising a cleft portion;

PRIOR ART AND PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION In known solutions, for example, the device is constituted by essentially horizontal channel-like guides along which the products are arranged in an upright position and leaning against each other. The process is now progressing in a stable state.

A portion of the guide has a base wall that is almost completely removed, leaving only a narrow strip corresponding to one of the side walls.

The holes thus formed are intended so that mispositioned products, i.e. products that accidentally run flat along the base wall, can be ejected from the stream.

Removal of mispositioned products is important for correct operation of equipment located downstream.

Along with the problem of packaging being formed with the product in the wrong position, there is also the problem that the product is actually stuck in the packaging position,
and may become disconnected, thereby contaminating the equipment and potentially interfering with operation. Additionally, mispositioned products run the risk of causing blockage or obstruction of the flow of the product being handled.

The technical solutions regarding the above points do not completely solve the problem of ejecting products that take the wrong position; in fact, the products that are placed flat on the base wall of the device are It may happen that when one ejection amount reaches the position provided, it is not actually ejected.

In practice, in most cases, a block of product with the correct orientation but slightly raised above the rest of the flow is placed on top of the product, and when the product in a flat state reaches the opening in the base wall, it , between the overlapping product blocks and the narrow remaining part of the base wall, is held captive along one of its edges, which of course allows the product to take its correct position in the flow through the discharge opening. This is necessary to prevent falling.

Frequently, a product in a flat state may be gripped on opposite sides between the product immediately preceding it and the overlapping product block immediately following it. Therefore, the mispositioned product will again be retained and continue to be transported in the flow.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described above, in which the aforementioned problems are eliminated and mispositioned products are reliably ejected.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, the object is a device of the above-mentioned type, which has the following characteristics: - the first and second devices have a corresponding curved section of the third wall device corresponding to the cleft section; In the flow, adjacent products are caused to transition along a curved path with relative pivoting (pivot) and, corresponding to at least the part of the tear, the wall device generally This is achieved by means of a device characterized in that it extends along a downwardly descending (preferably mostly vertical) path.

The invention will now be described purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the drawings, in which: FIG.

〔Example〕

In the drawings, a device indicated generally at 1 is for transporting a stream of stacked products P (for example biscuits or crackers) to be packaged;
The product is advanced in a predetermined direction with its major dimension substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel.

By way of example, the illustrated apparatus l is described in Italian Patent No. 1,186,419 of the same applicant and corresponding US Pat.
It can be located immediately upstream of a machine as described in the specification.

In the illustrated example, the product P arrives from above as a continuous or substantially continuous stream, with its main dimension perpendicular to its direction of travel.

In other words, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the products P, which have a generally flat shape, descend in a nearly vertical stack.

The device 1 essentially consists of a channel-shaped guide,
It is shown to consist of two opposite side walls 2.3 interconnected by a base wall 4.

The two opposite side walls 2.3 guide the advancing product, while the base wall 4 cooperates with them to support the product for guiding it in the direction of travel.

In order to improve the operation involved, the action of the base wall 4 is
It is advantageous to complement it with further guide elements arranged on opposite sides with respect to the side walls 2 and 3. In the illustrated embodiment, these further guide elements are constituted by rods 5 which are attached to respective supports 6 which are attached to the side walls 2 and 3 on opposite sides relative to the base wall 4 .

Naturally, elements 2-5 can be formed in other forms than shown, while retaining their function as a restraining wall device.

For example, walls 2, 3 and 4, which are shown in the form of continuous walls, can be formed into a cage structure using rods similar to rods 5.

The overall configuration of the Sji device includes two end portions extending along a straight path and designated as upper end portion A and lower end portion B in use, respectively, and two wall portions 2 and 3, which collectively form Sji. A middle portion C forming a curved line is provided.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 2, in the generally vertical configuration of the device 1, the presence of the intermediate S-shaped section causes the two straight sections A and B to be offset relative to each other.

In the intermediate S-shaped section, the base wall 4 is provided with a tear section, in which a portion, generally designated 7, has been removed.

The base wall 4 is interrupted just before the section C and is provided with a delivery or upstream end 8a, which develops into an S-shaped section and its introduction or downstream end 8b (
The traveling direction of the product P) is extended at a position that does not obstruct the traveling path defined by the upper straight portion of the device 1.

In the illustrated embodiment (particularly FIG. 2), the S-shaped curve of walls 2 and 3 corresponding to section C causes the lower straight section B of the device to be offset to the right with respect to the upper straight section A. It is located. Therefore, the end 8b is connected to the upper wall 3 (
1. In the lower part of the curved part C it meets the wall 2 (left side) of the lower part B of the device.

In other words, the downstream end 8b of the breaking device extends so as not to disturb the straight path followed by the product moving along the upper part A of the device, and which, by the principles described below, prevents the product from becoming mispositioned. facilitates the release of

The cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 shows a device 1 in which the curved portion C of the device 1 is generally downward in the general direction of travel of the product P, along an arcuate path, i.e. normally vertical or nearly vertical. is shown extending along an arcuate path connecting the lower portion B to the upper portion A which is generally inclined with respect to the vertical (e.g. 30-60@, preferably 45@).

In fact, the upper part A is adapted to collect the product P fed from above. In most applications, the products in question are stacked (side-by-side) with their larger dimensions vertically oriented and travel on a horizontal feed conveyor (not shown).

Finally, guiding blades, indicated at 9, extend from the base wall 4 (delivery end 8a) to the region 7, improving the guiding operation of the product P according to the principles described below.

For this purpose, and in particular to reduce sliding friction, one or both of the side walls 2.3 are configured to have an "undercausal" on the side facing the base wall, corresponding to the curvature S.

The operation of the device of this invention is such that upon transition of the curved portion C,
This is based on the fact that a product P that assumes the correct position and a product that assumes the wrong position, ie sliding downwards in the upper part A flat against the base wall 4, behave differently.

When the correctly aligned products reach the curved section C, they tend to move according to the S-shaped path defined by the side walls 2 and 3. The fact that the base wall 4 is not present in this part has no appreciable effect on the movement of the products, since the part C has a descending configuration, so that each product P Unless each product is lightly sandwiched between adjacent products (i.e. the lower product and the overlying product) and therefore there is a positive pressing force in the direction of ejection through the opening area 7, each product stacks up. This is because it naturally maintains its correct position within the body.

When the products migrate along the curved section C, the correctly aligned products P pivot slightly away from each other, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction (by means of two successive bends in the curved section) With this, this movement can to some extent be interpreted as a "vertebral" or "spine", since it is similar to the relative movement of a vertebra in the curvature of a column.

In both cases, restraint of the product P from assuming the correct position is improved by the use of a blade 9, the length of which varies depending on the application requirements (product dimensions and weight, slope of the curved portion C, etc.) .

When the product reaches the upstream end 8a of the region 7, the mispositioned product will try to continue its movement along the straight path defined by the upper part A of the device 1 and will therefore be ejected from the device.

As soon as the product passes the end 8a, the product sliding flat on the base wall 4 actually tends to tilt downwards due to gravity. As a result of the complete tear section provided in the base wall 4, no restraint is provided, so that mispositioned products are released and fall out of the device 1. In addition, the "vertebral" movement of the correctly positioned product retains the incorrectly positioned product sandwiched between the products immediately upstream and immediately downstream of the stacked product blocks. possibility is removed. In either case, the "column movement" effectively reduces the scissoring effect; likewise, there is no retention effect from product trapped between correctly aligned product and the base wall; Unlike in conventional devices, at least a portion of the curved region C (end portion 8a
(adjacent to) are completely removed.

Naturally, the principles and embodiments and structural details of the invention may be varied widely from those shown and described without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention in a packaging line, FIG. 2 is a front view of the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. ■... Transfer device, 2... First wall device, 3... Second
Wall device, 4...Third wall device, 5...Loft, 6...
- Support, 7... Cleft portion, 3a, 3b... End, 9... Sword-shaped portion, A... Upper end portion, B... Lower end portion, C... Curved path, P ···product. Mouth G, 1

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) A device for transporting a flow of stacked products (P) traveling with their main dimensions substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, comprising: - products (P) in the direction of travel; first (2) and second (3) opposing wall devices for guiding; and extending between the first (2) and second (3) wall devices;
A third (4) wall arrangement for maintaining the product (P) in guiding relationship with the first (2) and second (3) wall arrangement, the products arranged so that their major dimensions are parallel to the direction of travel. is the device (
- a third (4) wall device comprising a cleft portion (7) adapted to be able to be emitted from the third (4) wall; Corresponding to the cleft portion (7) of the device (4), a corresponding curved portion is provided, whereby the product (P) is guided into the curved path (C) with relative rotation of the adjacent product (P) in the flow. and - corresponding to at least the cleft portion (7), the wall device (2
-4) extend along a path generally descending in the direction of product travel. (2) Two parts (A
, B), wherein the first (2) and second (3) wall devices are curved correspondingly to the intermediate part (C) of the two parts (A, B), so that each straight path 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the are arranged offset relative to each other. (3) When the two straight path sections (A, B) are in operation, the upper section (A) and the lower section (
B), and the lower part (B) is arranged with its straight path substantially perpendicular, and the upper part (A) is arranged with its straight path inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that: 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the magnitude of the predetermined angle is of the order of 30-60°, preferably 45°. (5) The first (2) and second (3) wall devices are generally curved in an S-shape corresponding to the cleft portion. The device described in Section 1. (6) A tear portion (7) is defined by the upstream and downstream end portions (8a, 8b), respectively, in the direction of travel of the product, and the upstream end (8a, 8b) of the third wall device (4).
6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a complete tear is provided at least adjacent to 8a). (7) A tear portion (7) is defined by upstream and downstream end portions (8a, 8b), respectively, in the direction of product travel, and the downstream end portion (8b) is located upstream of the intermediate portion. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it extends in such a way that it does not interfere with the straight path of one of the two extending parts (A). 8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the wall device (2 or 4) is formed in the form of a substantially continuous wall. (9) Opposite the third wall arrangement (4), it comprises a further wall arrangement (5) extending between the first (2) and the second (3) wall arrangement. 9. The device according to any one of items 1 to 8.